Dysfunction (album)

Dysfunction is the second studio album by the American rock band Staind. It is also the group's first release on any label at all, in this case the Flip/Elektra label. "Suffocate", "Just Go", "Mudshovel", and "Home" were released as singles. The song "Mudshovel" can also be found on the band's previous album, Tormented, albeit in a slightly different form; that version of the song goes under the title spelled "Mudshuvel". It would serve as Staind's breakout single, peaking at number 10 on the Mainstream Rock chart. The album was certified 2x Platinum by the RIAA.

Background, music and lyrics

Despite trying to remove Staind from opening for Limp Bizkit at a 1997 concert, due to the intense cover illustration on their 1996 album Tormented, Fred Durst was impressed with their performance. After hearing their four-song demo, Durst signed Staind to Flip/Elektra to record the band's album Dysfunction. However, Durst suggested Staind would become more melodic. Durst and Staind then traveled to Jacksonville, Florida to begin developing new songs, and after a meeting with Flip, Staind recorded a three-track sampler in Los Angeles, California. By February 1998, they acquired a record contract and after performing on the summer Warped Tour began recording Dysfunction in December.

Reception

Allmusic said "@ finds two of New York City's longest-running fringe dwellers churning out sheets of collaborative sounds that conjoin their respective and distinct states of constant freak-out... These seven improvisations sound inspired without feeling at all heavy-handed or urgent. More so, @ succeeds with the type of conversational playing that could only be achieved by two masters so deep into their craft that it probably feels a lot like breathing to them by now".

Album

Albums of recorded music were developed in the early 20th century, first as books of individual 78rpm records, then from 1948 as vinyl LP records played at 331⁄3rpm. Vinyl LPs are still issued, though in the 21st century albums sales have mostly focused on compact disc (CD) and MP3 formats. The audio cassette was a format used in the late 1970s through to the 1990s alongside vinyl.

An album may be recorded in a recording studio (fixed or mobile), in a concert venue, at home, in the field, or a mix of places. Recording may take a few hours to several years to complete, usually in several takes with different parts recorded separately, and then brought or "mixed" together. Recordings that are done in one take without overdubbing are termed "live", even when done in a studio. Studios are built to absorb sound, eliminating reverberation, so as to assist in mixing different takes; other locations, such as concert venues and some "live rooms", allow for reverberation, which creates a "live" sound. The majority of studio recordings contain an abundance of editing, sound effects, voice adjustments, etc. With modern recording technology, musicians can be recorded in separate rooms or at separate times while listening to the other parts using headphones; with each part recorded as a separate track.